Still in the shadow of Confucianism? Gender bias in contemporary English textbooks in Vietnam

Gender bias in teaching materials may influence students' development and contribute to social inequalities. This study investigates possible gender bias in a newly published English textbook series in Vietnam. Holding gender as a social construct, the research uses a multimodal critical approa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pedagogy, culture & society culture & society, 2023-05, Vol.31 (3), p.477-497
Main Authors: Vu, Mai Trang, Pham, Thi Thanh Thuy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asian Culture
Authors
Bias
Civil Rights
Confucian values
Confucianism
Content Analysis
Cultural Influences
cultural norms
education
engelska
English
English (Second Language)
English textbook analysis
Females
Foreign Countries
Gender Bias
Gender Differences
Gender equity
Ideology
Illustrations
Language Attitudes
language studies
Norms
pedagogik
Second Language Instruction
Second Language Learning
Sex discrimination
Sex Fairness
språkvetenskap
Textbooks
Vietnam
Vietnamese People
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Summary:Gender bias in teaching materials may influence students' development and contribute to social inequalities. This study investigates possible gender bias in a newly published English textbook series in Vietnam. Holding gender as a social construct, the research uses a multimodal critical approach to examine language and ideological systems. The results show despite some effort for gender equity, the making of textbooks in today's Vietnam is still affected by patriarchal Confucian values. Males inhabit bigger verbal space and have more social properties. Females are portrayed as less independent; their choices are more limited, and with less resources. Textbook author interviews show the writing was influenced by conscious and unconscious bias, but they agreed gender equality is important, although male domination beliefs still seem to be deeply ingrained in the society. The study raises questions on challenging the status quo and creating a new cultural narrative for women's rights recognition and enactment.
ISSN:1468-1366
1747-5104
1747-5104
DOI:10.1080/14681366.2021.1924239